January 2024 - Take the Pressure Off

New year can bring so many stresses of its own and in the darkest days of the year when many of us have just "survived" Christmas, exhausted ourselves, or over indulged it can be the straw that breaks the camels back to consider "being better" when you would just like to get back to your equilibrium.

There are some more gentle ways to start things off - firstly by realising that January is not the only time for "clean slate" - April with the new tax year, September with the new school year, even your birthday, a new month, week or even a new day can all mark a time to do things differently.

The first question about all this though is what do you want to do differently and why. If those two things are not clear, or not aligned with your real feelings, then you are not going to succeed. Making decisions because of an uncomfortable feeling such as guilt, shame, or sadness, or because you think you are not good enough if you don't do xyz, is also going to cause you grief.

Instead of choosing resolutions or intentions based on what is missing or what you think you "should" be, why not try and start with a positive?

• What did you achieve or do in 2023 that made you truly happy?

• Who are the people that made 2023 better?

• What gave you a good surprise in 2023?

Considering these positives will enable you to look for these things in more abundance in 2024.